Shoe fastening device



April 11, 1961 T. E. HAWKINS ETAL 2,978,774

SHOE FASTENING DEVICE Filed March 24, 1958 'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/ NVENTOR. 40 7mm: E. Arm/N5 B178 /vf Er w United States Patent 9 7 SHOE FASTENING DEVICE Thane E. Hawkins and Stanley E. Weikal, Meadville,

Pa., assignors to Talon, Inc., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 723,238

6 Claims. (Cl. 24-207) This invention relates to fastening devices particularly adaptable for shoes and the like, and more particularly to an improvement of the fastening device disclosed in the co-pending application of Clive B. Forrester, Serial No. 445,779, filed July 26, 1954, which has issued as Patent No. 2,969,573, dated January 31, 1961.

In such a fastening device, there is provided generally a resilient wire member bent to substantially V-shape so as to provide a pair of spaced-apart arm-like portions integrally connected together at one end by a transversely extending trunnion portion. There is hingedly attached to this trunnion, a bearing-like portion arranged at one end of a manipulating or actuating member. Between the manipulating member and the resilient arm portion there is arranged a rigid yoke-like member having one end thereof pivotally attached to the inner side of the manipulating member intermediate the length thereof. On the opposite end of this rigid member there is arranged a pair of spaced-apart hook-like portions which slidably engage the arm-like portions of the wire member whereby the arm-like portions are moved toward or away from one another upon movement of the manipulating member.

In the construction shown in the aforesaid Forrester application, the bearing-like portion of the manipulating member and the trunnion portion of the wire member to which it is hingedly attached are not secured to the shoe at this point but are free to float, which is at times objectionable in that it interferes with the actuation of the assembly.

Accordingly, it is the general object of the present invention to provide an improved construction of the shoe fastening device disclosed in the aforementioned Forrester application.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a means for anchoring the bearing-like portion of the manipulating member together with the trunnion portion of the wire member to which it is attached so as to provide not only a more sturdy and rigid assembly but also a construction which will function more easily and will be more apparent in the course of the following specification, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown for the purpose of illustration, an embodiment which our in vention may assume in practice.

2,978,774 Patented Apr. 11, 1961 In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a shoe having the improved fastening device of the present invention incorporated therewith and showing it in its fully open position,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the inner side of the fastening device showing the position the parts assume when the fastener is in its fully closed position,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the lower ends of the manipulating and rigid members together with the anchoring member showing it disconnected therefrom,

dFig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, an

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, and as more clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the present invention relates to an improvement of the fastening device disclosed in the above-mentioned co-pending application of Clive B. Forrester, Serial No. 445,779, filed July 26, 1954. Such a fastening device consists of a pair of elongated substantially flat plate-like wing members 2 and 3 made preferably ofrelatively fiat, thin metallic stock having cylindrical bearing-like portions 4 and 5, respectively, arranged along the inner marginal edges thereof, for a purpose hereinafter to be described.

Between these wing members 2 and 3 there is arranged a relatively stiff resilient wire member 8 made of spring steel or some other suitable material Which is bent to substantially V-shape so as to provide portions 9 and 10 which terminate at the upper end thereof, preferably in reversely bent portions 12 and 13, respectively, having knoblike portions or tea-ts 14 and 15, respectively arranged on the outer ends thereof. These reversely bent end portions 12 and 13 are removably disposed in the respective bearing-like portions or bosses 4 and 5 of respective wing members 2 and 3. The lower ends of these arm portions 9 and 10 are integrally connected together by means of a substantially oval-shaped portion so as to provide a transversely extending trunnion portion 16.

There is provided an elongated manipulating or actuating member 17 which is preferably relatively thin and substantially flat but may be slightly arcuate in cross section. According to the present invention, as more clearly shown in Figs. 3 through 5 of the drawings, there is formed on the lower end of this manipulating member 17, a pair of spaced-apart bearing-like portions 60 so as to provide a space 61 therebetween. These bearing-like portions 61 are hingedly connected to the trunnion portions 16 of the wire member 8. There is provided a plate-like anchoring member 62 having a resilient hook-like hearing portion 63 arranged therewith so as to provide a space 64 between the same and the body of the plate-like member. Centrally of the plate-like anchor member 62, there is arranged preferably an aperture 65 in which a rivet 66 is adapted to be disposed for attaching the same to the lower end of the tongue 47 of a shoe, as shown in Fig. 5. The hook-shaped portion 63 of this anchor member 62 is normally disposed around the central part of the trunnion portion 16 of the wire member in the space between the bearing-like portions 60 of the manipulating member 17, as more clearly shown in Figs. 2 and ,5.

A rigid member 19 is provided which extends between the manipulating member 17 and the arms, '9 and 10 of the resilient wire member 8. This rigid member 19 consists preferably of two parts 20 and 21 telescopically arranged for adjusting the length thereof. On the outer end of the upper part 20 there is arranged a yoke-shaped portion having a pair of hook-shaped ear portions 22 and 23 which slidably engage with and are disposed 0 around the respective arms 9 and 10 of the resilient memofthe arms 9 and 10 therebetween. The outer end of the lower part 21 is pivotally connected preferably to a pair of spaced-apart bearing portions 24 struck up from the body of the manipulating member '17 intermediate its length, by means of a transversely extending pin 25 positioned at a spaced distance from the hinged'connec tion 16. Adjacent these bearing portions 24, there is also struck up from the body of the manipulating member 17, a pair of elongated parallel resilient portions or projections 26 which are spaced apart from one another a distance slightly less than the width of the part 21 of the rigid member 19 with which they are adapted to co-operate to lock the fastener in closed position in a manner to be described.

The lower part 21 of the rigid member 19 has upwardly and inwardly extending marginal flanges so as to provide a channel therebetween for slidably receiving the inner end of the part 20. Adjacent the inner end of this part 21, there is arranged a pin-like projecting portion 29 which is disposed on the end of a leaf-like spring portion 3i; struck up from the body portion of this part 21. There are arranged on the upper part 20 of the rigid member 19, laterally extending marginal flange portions which are disposed in under the marginal flanges and in the'channel of the lower part 21. Centrally of the upper part 20, there is arranged a series of spaced-apart apertures 32 with which the pin-like projection 29 of the lower part 21 engages to adjust selectively the two parts 20 and 21 relative to one another so as to adjust the length of the rigid member 19.

It will be understood that the hook-shaped ear portions 22 and 23 grasp the arms 9 and 10 of the resilient membar 8 and draw them together as the yoke-shaped portion of the upper part 20 of the rigid member 19 slides therealong thereby drawing the wing members 2 and 3 toward one another. The rigid member 19 and in turn the arms 9 and it are moved by the manipulating member 17 and it will be seen that the manipulating member makes the largest angle with both the resilient member 8 and rigid member 19 when the manipulating member is in its open position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, thereby permitting the arms 9 and 10 to be spread apart. in the closed or locked position, as shown in Fig. 2, it will be seen that the manipulating member 17 makes the. smallest angle with both the resilient member 8 and the rigid member 19 and is disposed substantially parallel thereto, thereby holding the arms 9 and it inwardly against the inherent resilient force of these arms tending to spread them apart. In such closed position, it will be understood that the rigid member 19 is forced and positioned between the pair of elongated parallel inwardly extending projecting portions 25 of the manipulating member 17, which parallel portions are sprung and in engagement with the marginal flange portions of the rigid member 19 so as to lock the manipulating member in locked position and to prevent unintentional movement thereof.

Having described the construction of our improved fastening device, it is assembled in a shoe in the following manner. Attention is now directed more particularly to Fig. l of the drawings wherein there is shown the front portion of a shoe having the usual instep opening 40, side instep or flap portions 41 and edges 42 bordering the opening 40 and an inner tongue 47. There is provided a flexible outer tongue-like member or covering flap 43 which is preferably hingedly connected to the saddle portion of the shoe at the lower end of theopening 40, as at verse slotted opening 46 intermediate the length thereof on the inner side. This covering flap may be made of any other suitable material and attached to the manipulating member 17 in any suitable manner.

It will be assumed that the hook-shaped ear portions 22 and 23 are disconnected from their sliding engagement with the arms 9 and 10. The manipulating member 17 of the fastening device is first removably positioned in this pocket 45 in the tongue-like member 43 by inserting it through the slotted opening 46. It will be seen that the manipulating 'member17 is positioned in the pocket -45 with the rigid member 19 extending into the opening 4t). Also, in such position, it will be seen that the lower end of the manipulating member and bearing portions 60 carried thereby extend out through the slotted opening 46. The trunnion portion 16 of the wire member 8 is hingedly attached to the bearing portions 66. The anchoring member 62 is then preferably attached to the tongue 47 of the shoe by means of the rivet 66 or by any other suitable means.

It will be assumed that the wing members 2 and 3 of the fastening device are disconnected from the respective reversely bent portions 12 and 13 of the respective arms 9 and it? of the resilient wire member 8. There is provided in each of the side instep portions '41 of the shoe, a pocket 43 in which the wing members 2 and 3 are disposed with the boss portions 4 and 5 extending out through slotted openings arranged along the edges 42 and into the instep opening 40. in such position, it will be seen that the resilient member 8 is positioned in the instep opening 40 between the opposed edges 42 of the instep.

The reverseiy bent end portions 12 and 13 of the respective arms 9 and 10 are then inserted in the respective bosses and 5. It will be seen that the arms 9 and 1t) tend to maintain the wing members 2 and 3 in position in their respective pockets 48. The hook-shaped ear portions 22 and 23 of the rigid member 19 are then positioned around their respective arms 9 and 10 by inserting the arms in the space between the ear portions. This completes the assembly of the fastener in the shoe and it is now in readiness for use.

In operating the device the upper end of the tonguelike member 4-3 together with the manipulating member 17 housed therein is grasped and moved inwardly toward the instep opening 49 until it is substantially flush with the instep side portions 4 1. In so doing, it will be understood as previously described that the hook-shaped ear portions 22 and 23 will gradually draw the arms 9 and 10 together as they slide therealong which in turn draws the edges 42 of the instep opening 40 toward one another against the resilient action of the arms 9 and 10. When the tongue-like member 43 together with the manipulating member 17 has been moved to its fully closed position so as to cover the instep opening 40, the marginal flanges of the rigid member 19 will force the projecting portions 26 apart by a snapping action and be held resiliently there between so as to lock the manipulating member 17 in its closed position, thereby preventing accidental opening of the fastener.

The reverse procedure is followed to open the fastener and'shoe. That is, the shoe is opened merely by grasping the tongue-like member 43 and pulling it outwardly whereby the rigid member 19 is moved from between the locking projecting portions 26 and causes the yoke shaped portion together with the hook-shaped ear portion on the end of the rigid member to slide down along the arms 9 and 10 of the resilient member 8 to permit the instep opening 40 to open widely.

By providing such an assembly, in accordance with the present invention, it will be seen that the lower end of the fastening device is detachably attached to the shoe due to the arrangement and construction of the anchoring -member 62. It willbe seen that the fastening device may be easily and quickly removed from the shoe, if desired, merely by disengaging the trunnion portion 16 of the wire member 8 from under the resilient hook-like portion 63 of the anchor member 62 and that it can likewise be easily assembled therein when replaced. It will also be seen that the anchor member 62 securely not only holds the lower end of the fastening device in position in the shoe so as to eliminate any accidental displacement thereof, but also aids materially the actuation of the device to open and close the assembly.

As a result of our invention, it will be seen that there is provided a shoe fastening device which is an improvement over that disclosed in the aforementioned Forrester application and which is so constructed and arranged that a stronger and more rugged assembly results and an assembly that can be more easily operated.

While we have shown and described an embodiment which our invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration and description, and that other forms may be devised within the scope of our invention as defined in the appended claims.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a shoe fastening device, a resilient slide wire member bent to a substantially V-shape so as to provide a pair of spaced-apart arm portions integrally connected together at one end by a transversely extending trunnion portion, a manipulating member having a pair of spaced-apart bearing-like portions arranged on one end thereof by which the same are hingedly connected to the trunnion portion of said wire member, means hingedly engaged with said trunnion portion in thespace between said bearing portions for detachably attaching said trunnion portion thereto, means for securely attaching said last mentioned means to a tongue of a shoe, a rigid member having one end thereof pivotally attached to said manipulating member at a spaced distance from its det-achably pivotal connection with said trunnion portion, means arranged on the opposite end of said rigid member slidably engaging the arms of said wire member for opening and closing the assembly, and means carried by said manipulating member which co-operates with means carried by said rigid member for locking the manipulating member in its closed position substantially parallel to the arms of said wire member.

2. In a shoe fastening device, a resilient slide wire member bent to a substantially V-shape so as to provide a pair of spaced-apart arm portions integrally connected together at one end by a transversely extending trunnion portion, a manipulating member having a spaced-apart bearing-like portion arranged on one end thereof which is hingedly connected to the trunnion portion of said wire member, a plate-like member having a hook-like bearing portion arranged therewith which is adapted to be disposed around said trunnion portion in the space between said bearing-like portions, means arranged with said plate-like member for securely attaching the same to a shoe, a rigid member having one end thereof pivotally attached to said manipulating member at a spaced distance from its detachably pivotal connection with said trunnion portion, means arranged on the opposite end of said rigid member slidably engaging the arms of said wire member for opening and closing the assembly, and means carried by said manipulating member which cooperates with means carried by said rigid member for locking the manipulating member in its closed position substantially parallel to the arms of said wire member.

3. In a shoe fastening device, a resilient slide wire member bent to a substantially V-shape so as to provide a pair of spaced-apart arm portions integrally connected together at one end by a transversely extending trunnion portion, a manipulating member having means arranged on the lower end thereof for pivotally attaching the same to the trunnion portion of said Wire member, means engageable with said trunnion portion of the wire member for detachably attaching the same thereto, means for securely attaching said last mentioned means to a tongue of a shoe, a rigid member having one end thereof piv otally attached to said manipulating member at a spaced distance from its pivotal connection with said trunnion portion, a hook portion arranged on the opposite end of said rigid member adapted to slidably engage the arms of said wire member for opening and closing the assembly, and means carried by said manipulating member which co-operates with means carried by said rigid member for locking the manipulating member in its closed position substantially parallel to the arms of said wire member.

4. In a shoe fastening device, a resilient slide wire member bent to a substantially V-shape so as to provide a pair of spaced-apart arm portions integrally connected together at one end by a transversely extending trunnion portion, a manipulating member having a pair of spacedapart bearing-like portions arranged on one end thereof by which the same are hingedly connected to the trunnion portion of said wire member, means hingedly engaged with said trunnion portion in the space between said bearing portions for detachably attaching said trunnion portion thereto, means arranged with said last mentioned means for attaching the same to a tongue of a shoe, a rigid member having one end thereof pivotally attached to said manipulating member at a spaced distance from its detachably pivotal connection with said trunnion portion, a hook portion arranged on the opposite end of said rigid member adapted to slidably engage the arms of said wire member for opening and closing the assembly, and means carried by said manipulating member which cooperates with means carried by said rigid member for locking the manipulating member in its closed position substantially parallel to the arms of said wire member.

5. In a shoe fastening device, as defined in claim 4, wherein the means engageable with the trunnion portion of the wire member for attaching the same to the tongue of the shoe consists of a plate-like member having a hook-like bearing portion arranged therewith adapted to detachably engage said trunnion portion.

6. In a shoe fastening device, a resilient slide wire member bent to a substantially V-shape so as to provide a pair of spaced-apart arm portions integrally connected together at one end by a transversely extending trunnion portion, a manipulating member having a spaced.- apart bearing-like portion arranged on one end thereof which is hingedly connected to the trunnion portion of said wire member, a plate-like member having a hole arranged therein centrally thereof by means of which the plate-like member is attached to a shoe, a hook-like bearing portion extending outwardly from said platelike member which is adapted to be disposed around said trunnion portion in the space between said bearinglike portions so as to removably attach said trunnion portion to said plate-like member, a rigid member having one end thereof pivotally attached to said manipulating member at a spaced distance from its detachably piv otal connection with said trunnion portion, a hook portion arranged on the opposite end of said rigid member adapted to slidably engage the arms of said wire member for opening and closing the assembly, and means carried by said manipulating member which co-operates with means carried by said rigid member for locking the manipulating member in its closed position substantially parallel to the arms of said wire member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,737,632 Avdet Dec. 3, 1929 2,637,087 Forrester May 5, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 270,169 Germany Feb. 12, 1914 

